Gary Kent photo
Sgt. Ryan Treviño shows off his pink handcuffs and pistol grip while working security at A.C. Jones High School. The officer said he decided to carry the items during October to show his support for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

It is not the color one would expect to find on a police officer’s duty belt, where everything else is either black or silver.

Not so with Sgt. Ryan Treviño of the Beeville Police Department.

During October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Treviño is sporting pink handcuffs, a pink rubber grip cover on the butt of his Glock .22 pistol and a pink-handled handcuff key sticking out of the breast pocket on his uniform shirt.

Treviño said he got the idea last year when watching his favorite National Football League team, the Denver Broncos, on television.

Players were all sporting pink in support of the breast cancer month. But it was not until about the end of October that he found pink Smith & Wesson handcuffs in a police equipment catalog.

“October was already done,” Treviño said. But he went online and ordered them anyway so he would have them this October.

He also ordered the $10 pink grip for his duty weapon and the handcuff key and started displaying the new items on Monday.

“No,” the officer said, “I don’t know anyone who has had breast cancer. I just do it for everybody, I guess.”

Treviño was in uniform Tuesday, working security at A.C. Jones High School and sporting the pink accessories.

“All the kids here think it’s cool,” Treviño said. “They ask about it. I tell them what it means. I guess you could say they’ve been made aware.”

The equipment was not expensive. The officer paid about $30 for the pink handcuffs, $10 for the grip for his pistol and another $5 for the handcuff key.

While standing outside the auditorium at the high school, Treviño got a phone call from Lt. Eddie Garcia, supervisor for the BPD’s patrol division.

“Tell them to give me $10 each, and I’ll order them,” he told Garcia.

Treviño laughed as pushed the button on his phone to end the call.

“Some of the other guys want the grips for their guns,” he said.

“Maybe next year, if people are receptive, the chief will buy us pink handcuffs for the month of October.”

Gary Kent is a reporter at the Bee-Picayune and can be reached at 358-2550, ext. 120, or at reporter@mySouTex.com.